Somerset Vanguard Update
The Symphony Programme is the South Somerset integrated care project that has been awarded "Vanguard" status and attracted national funding (£ 4.8M) to develop new models of care and design an integrated model of care for the South Somerset population. The Programme aims to develop fully integrated health care services (including Primary Care, Secondary Care, Community Care, and Mental Health services) and to also integrated health care with social care services. It also aims to change the focus of care away from high cost Secondary Care based reactive treatment to preventative and Public Health based care for the population of South Somerset. The Programme includes working groups that are redesigning how Primary Care is delivered (Enhanced Primary Care), the management of patients with complex co-morbidities (Complex Care), redesigning planned Secondary Care including systemised surgery and outpatient care, in addition to designing new care pathways for chronic conditions such as Diabetes and COPD, and redesigning urgent care.
The Programme is also exploring new contractual arrangements from a provider perspective, linking with Somerset CCG's and Somerset County Council's plans to move commissioning arrangements to Outcomes Based Commissioning contracts. It's aim is to integrate funding streams for various elements of health and social care, and aligning incentives across multiple care organisations responsible for care provision in South Somerset. The Programme plans to develop an Accountable Care Organisation, through a Joint Venture between Primary and Secondary care, with the development of an "operational arm" that will be a provider organisation capable of holding GMS and PMS contracts, in addition to having contractual links to a number other providers including participating GP practices.
The Programme's vision is a collaborative care organisation providing innovative and fully integrated health and social care to an empowered population, with new roles and flexible working and contractual arrangements that will attract medical and allied clinicians to Somerset.
Dr Berge Balian
GP, Crewkerne Health Centre
Chair, Symphony Programme Board
